Gift and Curse
by InsaneKAT
Summary: Before this entire ordeal, we were adults. Time has been wound back and stopped, with all of us trying to set it going again. Should we? Can we turn back? What is the Arcobaleno Curse exactly? Why were we reverted back to infants in the first place?


**AN. **When you ask me the typical 'what do you want to be hen you grow up' question, I would likely say 'writer' or 'artist' or 'musician' or 'scientist', but my answer has changed abruptly yesterday midnight. I had a case of insomnia and was reflecting on my stories when I suddenly realized that I really wanted to be Byakuran.

It was true. Almost everything I put in 'Perfect World' were mind. There's matter of option – wrote an entire lecture about this – about law and humanity. World dominance. Fun.

So… who wants to join me in this fight for a Perfect World? (Insert evil Bel smile) _Ushishishishi_~

**Title: **I had reflected on the facts I have gathered. Everything has two sides – it just depends on which side you're facing. I'm not saying the curse is bad or good or anything, opting on speaking from the middle line. Surprising how much a small thing such as a title can bring up in me.

**Prompt: **This was originally written so to explain to my friend Icy why the Arcobaleno had to revert back to their child forms. I added a few of my own questions. Kind of plot-hole filler, but now that the 'Curse of the Rainbow' Arc has arrived, this wouldn't be very accurate.

**Timeline/setting: **It goes from right after the Arcobaleno was formed on the mountain, to present time with Tsuna, to after Yamamoto's training in the future because of his promise to explain.

**Point of view: **Totally Reborn.

**Mistakes: **Lame ending. Probably bad grammar. Also, I know the meeting with Yamamoto was a little out of place. I tried Tsuna, Gokudera, Ryohei, all the guardians at once, Nono, Dino, Hibari, Lal, Colonnello, everyone and the Arcobaleno and decided on this when I remembered the promise Reborn gave Yamamoto (he's also the only one that doesn't get beaten up _too _bad). Also, even before that, I also tried writing it all out like a lecture, and it didn't work out. So it might seem a bit kinky, but at least it explain (probably) everything.

Just keep in mind that this story has underwent much, withstood much, but did not result as much.

**Language/rating: **Nothing too vulgar, nothing too graphic. I guess there's not much to explain.

If there's anything else wrong, feel free to tell me. Flames will be used to roast marshmallows with Byakuran. Speaking of which, I need to change this soon. I don't want Byakuran getting fat from all the roasting I made him do in stories.

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own the characters of Katekyo Hitman Reborn. All belongs to Akira Amano apart from the plot.

**GIFT AND CURSE**

Nobody had explained this to them. They had been called from seven different parts of the Earth into this one place in the middle of nowhere, put together in a group, and expected to 'work together' as the Chosen Seven.

He never wanted this.

Reborn sat on a rock, his baby fingers awkward and weak around the revolver he had in his pocket. It wasn't much of a reassurance, but it something. On his neck, a bright yellow pacifier shone with gentle yellow light.

He didn't want this!

Skull, the idiot, finally snapped out of his shock and ran off, sobbing hysterically at a ridiculously high pitch, and for once, Reborn wished he was Skull, so that he, too, can sob his misery out. But he was a hitman, and hitmen can't cry. It was the price he paid for life drenched in blood.

But no longer was he a hitman. He was an infant. A ridiculous infant! Had God no sense?

Away from the group, Viper sat looking almost miserable behind the mask of blankness and his hood. Verde was walking around, studying himself with great interest, as if he himself were a science specimen. Lal was trying her best not to sob while Colonnello, the idiot, stood behind her awkwardly.

Luce calmly surveyed the group, a knowing look in her eyes. When she saw Reborn looking, she smiled, and the newly elected Sun Arcobaleno turned away, suddenly angry all over again.

Thus the seven – eight – started their lives as an Arcobaleno.

-KHR-

Year after year, decade after decade, they watched the world change around them as the Eight of them stayed the same. It's become rather frustrating sometimes, wishing that one day, one can wake up without feeling centuries of memories and emotions rush back in a majestic wave.

Reborn ran a hand over the cool scales of his friend, Leon, as he mused silently to himself while staring out the window with dark onyx eyes as deep as the ocean. His head was pounding like the hammer of a court judge from all the thinking it was doing.

One of the infant's fingers twitched, the only obvious sign of annoyance as Tsuna barged noisily into the room. Of course, the boy denies the accusations of being too loud, but Reborn ignores him most of the time. The idiot really needs to know how to enter a room silently.

"REBORN!" He shouted at the Sun Arcobaleno, who took a calm sip of cold coffee. "WHY DID YOU SHOOT AT HIM? IN SCHOOL!"

"The idiot deserved it." _Sip._

"Ugh! I don't need to look any more weird that I am already, you jerk."

The look in Reborn's eyes hardened as he threw the cup at Tsuna's forehead. "If I weren't stuck in this miserable form, you'll be a dead man now. But since I'm _nice, _I'll spare you."

_If I weren't stuck in this miserable form, I won't even be here. _He reminded himself glumly. _I'll be long dead. _

He then proceeded to kick the crap out of his student on the ground for being so bold to him, negative thoughts dissipating for the moment as he watched Tsuna scream for mercy with smug satisfaction.

-KHR-

He sat directly opposite of Yamamoto Takeshi, whose face was contorted into a serious expression, which looked quite out of place on the normally cheerful swordsman's. On the coffee table were two mugs of hot chocolate.

"I am here to explain the curse of the Arcobaleno, just like I've promised." Reborn leaned back. "Feel free to ask whatever you need to know."

Yamamoto frowned. "Wait… you aren't going to explain everything to me?"

"That will take forever. A question and answer format is easier." _And it allows you to hide a lot more. _

Yamamoto thought for a while. "So… I guess I'll have to ask something more specific. Let's start with… your shadow. The shadow of a man. What's up with that?"

Reborn leaned back in his cushion, his eyes shadowed by his fedora. "We weren't always infants. Before the curse, we were all living separate lives in separate places. It was power and ability that brought us together."

"So you were chosen." Yamamoto clarified. "Not, like, voluntary."

"No. They thought us powerful enough to bear the responsibility and the effects, so we were chosen. We were to guard the pacifiers, which held up a third of the universe. You know, the Tri-ni-sette."

"Yeah. But I don't get why you have to shrink."

Reborn didn't bother to point out that they _didn't _shrink, they were just reverted back to their child forms as he took a sip of hot chocolate. It was too sweet for his taste, but he didn't want to risk going out to get _real_ coffee for fear of someone guessing his meeting with Yamamoto. "There are many theories."

Yamamoto inclined his head. "I'm listening."

"Verde was the only one who was closest to entire truth, and the rest just scrambled to hack into his files, or went with their own assumptions. One says that if we were in adult form, we can summon up and generate an insane amount of power within a short period of time. If we can generate just one burst of pure flame, we can easily destroy the world, thus unbalancing the Tri-ni-sette."

"But you wouldn't do that, right?"

Reborn scoffed. _Tell that to the guys who made us revert back to infants. _"Anyways, there are so many other theories that I'm sure you won't understand, so we'll stick with the one that has the most solid evidence."

"A pacifier is an Arcobaleno's life source, since the flames give them eternal life to guard the pacifiers forever. When a pacifier is destroyed, the Arcobaleno would most likely feel the effects of age catching up. The longer their life, the more painful the death – centuries of age catching up in mere seconds."

"If we were in adult form, we would have cases where our bodies cannot generate enough flames to keep us from aging. It's a similar concept to heat really – the larger the surface area, the more heat it releases. If we have flame shortage for a long period of time, under the assumption that we don't notice first, we can die."

Reborn reached for the hot chocolate again. Quite a speech he had given.

Yamamoto was staring at him, trying to process all the information Reborn had thrown at him in such a short period of time. After a while he stuttered, "So… how long have you lived?"

Reborn gave a dark smirk. "Let us just proceed under he knowledge that I have lived long enough to supervise the Ninth's training when he was about half your age."

Yamamoto gave an awkward laugh. "Yeah… so… what else is there to ask?"

"Think about it. This is your only chance to get to know me. I promise I won't hide anything." _Probably._

"So… why were you the Sun Arcobaleno?"

Reborn looked down at his yellow pacifier. _I don't really know. _"We have completely opposite personalities from our Vongola counterparts. It's something about the balance again." _I think._

"Ok. So… do you think the curse is a good thing or bad thing?"

"That, depends on opinion. With great power, comes great price."

Yamamoto laughed. "Now that I'm actually here, I'm actually running out of things to ask." He stood up and asked, "Say, do I still call you 'kid' now that you told me that you really aren't a kid?"

"Just stick with it."

"Okay, kid. I'm treating you out for coffee tonight. I can slip out."

Reborn smirked. Ah, it felt good to let it all out. He should really do it more often. "That better be some good coffee."

"Better than those in the base."

"You're paying."

Yamamoto laughed. "I know. I'm treating you, right?"


End file.
